Friends,
The reverberation of the festival of Holi is being felt all around. I also wish all of you a very Happy Holi! Today's event has increased the joy of thousands of families manifold on this important festival of Holi. Rozgar Mela is being organized for the second time in Gujarat within a short span of time. I congratulate our Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Bhai and his entire team for this work.
Friends,
This is the evidence of the commitment of the Bharatiya Janata Party governments and all of us towards providing opportunities to the youth and using their potential in the development of the country. I am glad that all the central government departments and NDA state governments are working relentlessly to provide maximum number of jobs. Rozgar Melas are being organized continuously in 14 states and Union Territories ruled by the NDA, besides the ones organized by the central government. I extend my best wishes to the youth who are being given appointment letters for their bright future and for the joy and prosperity of their families. I am sure that the youth assuming the new responsibility will contribute with complete dedication and devotion in fulfilling the resolutions of ‘AmritKaal’.
Friends,
In the last 5 years, more than 1.5 lakh youngsters in Gujarat have got state government jobs. Apart from government jobs, employment has been provided to about 18 lakh youngsters in various fields in Gujarat over the past years through the Employment Exchange. The Gujarat government has completed the recruitment process within the stipulated time by preparing a recruitment calendar. I have been told that this year preparations have been made to provide jobs to more than 25,000 youths in the state government. The Government of Gujarat has made the entire recruitment process transparent by using technology. Different digital platforms, mobile apps and web portals have been developed for the same.
Friends,
The efforts of the BJP government in different sectors have created new opportunities for the youth. The Central Government has worked on a concrete strategy for both direct and indirect Employment Generation. Our focus has been on increasing employment opportunities to the maximum through infrastructure and development projects. Our focus has been to provide new employment opportunities by promoting manufacturing. Our focus has been on creating the right environment in the country for self-employment and providing financial assistance to the youth without guarantee. Our focus has been on skill development of the youth according to the changing nature of jobs.
Friends,
When the wheel of development moves at a fast pace, the employment opportunities start getting created in every sector. Today lakhs of crores of rupees are being invested in the development projects in infrastructure, information technology and other sectors in the country. Central government projects worth Rs 1.25 lakh crore are underway in Gujarat alone. A provision of Rs 10 lakh crore has been made for infrastructure in this year's budget. This investment of lakhs of crores of rupees is also creating lakhs of jobs.
Friends,
Experts from all over the world believe that India will become the biggest manufacturing hub in the coming years. And Gujarat plays a significant role in this. Youth like you will lead this revolution in India. For example, our tribal area in Gujarat's Dahod, in a way is among the backward areas. A rail engine factory is being set up there with an investment of Rs 20,000 crores. Gujarat is also going to become a major hub of semiconductors. All these efforts will also create thousands of new employment opportunities in Gujarat.
Friends,
The holistic approach for development with which the government is working today, is also helping in Employment generation at a larger scale. These new crucial changes at the policy level have created an ecosystem in which startups are getting a chance to move forward. Today, more than 90 thousand startups are operating in the country and that too in Tier 2, Tier 3 cities. Consequently, new employment opportunities are being generated, and lakhs of youngsters are also getting motivated for self-employment. The government is providing them financial assistance without any bank guarantee. Self-employment has also got a boost from Mudra Yojana and Stand-up India Yojana. Crores of women are standing firmly on their feet by joining self-help groups and leading the financial system of the whole family. The government is also providing financial assistance of hundreds of crores of rupees to these women.
Friends,
There is a need to develop skilled manpower on a large scale for the new possibilities being created in the country. India can achieve the goal of becoming the third largest economy of the world only with the power of the skills of the youth. It is our endeavour to ensure that every section of the society gets the benefit of skill development. Be it our Dalit brothers and sisters, our tribal brothers and sisters, our deprived classes, or our mothers and sisters, everyone will get equal opportunity to move forward. Keeping this in mind, priority is also being given to the skill development of the youth. Under the PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana, 30 Skill India International Centres will be set up in the country. Here the youth will be given training through new age technology. Besides training small artisans through PM Vishwakarma Yojana, they will also be linked with MSMEs. Through this scheme, people associated with small businesses will be helped to get access to the global market. We are constantly preparing our youth for the changing nature of jobs. Our ITIs are playing a crucial role in this endeavour. There has been a steady increase in the number of ITIs and their seats in Gujarat. Today, in about 600 ITIs in Gujarat alone, training of different skills is being imparted for 2 lakh seats. This training programme has been updated as per the needs of the industry. I am glad that the placement of ITIs in Gujarat has been very satisfactory.
Friends,
Our focus is also on developing every opportunity for the employment generation, which, unfortunately, had not been given the attention it deserves since independence. It has been announced in the budget to develop 50 new tourist centres. Like we have Unity Mall in Kevadiya, Ekta Nagar. Similarly, it has been announced to set up Unity Malls in every state. In these malls, unique products from across the country will be promoted. With these efforts, new employment opportunities will be created for lakhs of people. Besides this, a provision has also been made to appoint about 40,000 teachers in Eklavya Schools.
Friends,
All of you are getting an opportunity to serve by getting associated with the Government of Gujarat. It is natural that this is a moment of celebration for you and your family. But friends, you must remember one thing; this is just the beginning. A new journey of life is about to begin. If you settle on getting a government job as your goal, then your own personal growth will stop. Never let the hard work and dedication that has brought you here stop; it has to continue even further. The urge to learn something new will help you move forward throughout your life. Wherever you are posted, the more attention you pay to increase your capability, capacity and knowledge, the more you will be benefited. The area in which you are working, that area will also be benefited. It is our endeavour to ensure that every government employee gets better training. We have started the Karmayogi Bharat online platform in this direction. Do take maximum advantage of the various online courses available on this portal and I am sure that continuous learning can become a great weapon for your progress.
Friends,
Once again I convey my best wishes to all of you and your family members for this auspicious beginning. I wish all of you, my brothers and sisters of Gujarat, a very happy Holi! Thank you very much.
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.
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DS/IG/AK